Phillies: Gonzalez shaky in Florida debut

TAMPA, Fla. Ten years ago, Cole Hamels remembers being nervous here at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Hamels, then a top pitching prospect, in the organization, was making his Grapefruit League debut on national television. which, back in 2004, was a bigger deal than it is today.

Hamels threw one inning that day in 2004. His batters faced? Derek Jeter, Tony Clark and Alex Rodriguez. The results? Strikeout, strikeout, strikeout. His performance was electrifying.

"It doesn't feel like that long ago," Hamels said with a laugh. "Wow. ... It was a moment in my life and career where I realized I could play against major leaguers, guys that I watched on TV, played on <FZ,1,0,26>video games. I was on their level."

Ten years later, another hyped prospect made his Grapefruit League debut at the same stadium. Miguel Gonzalez, the Cuban defector, did not light up stat sheets or the Twittersphere with his 1<AF>1/3<XA> inning, four-walk outing. The performance brought mostly disappointment, even from Gonzalez himself.

"I'm not happy at all," Gonzalez said through a translator. "I'm not satisfied at all. I believe I have some more in the tank. It should be coming around."

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Cliff Lee looks solid in first sprint start.

The two could be equally important to the Phillies' pitching staff this season. Hamels, the staff ace, obviously has tremendous value. He is behind on his offseason throwing program thanks to some shoulder issues in the winter, and is on pace to miss at least his first two starts. Hamels threw his second bullpen session of the spring Saturday at Bright House Field, and said there is nothing to worry about.

Meanwhile, the Phillies hoped Gonzalez would become a solid member of the rotation in 2014 when they signed him to a three-year, $12 million contract in August. Gonzalez does not look prepared, which could be because he hasn't pitched in a real game in two years.

Gonzalez exhibited shaky control Saturday, abandoning his fastball early in favor of the curve. The two minor leaguers he faced – Corban Joseph and Mason Williams – went 0 for 4. against Gonzalez. The other seven batters, all major leaguers, went 2 for 3 against him with four walks.

His fastball reached 93 mph in his first inning, and dipped to 89 mph in his second frame.

"Yeah, he might have looked like he had a little rust. It was a nice atmosphere for him for a spring training game. That was a pretty good stage," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "When his fastball was down it looked like it was a quality pitch."

Another reason for Gonzalez's rust could be a new system. While Hamels is trying to catch up on his offseason throwing schedule, Gonzalez is getting used to such a rigorous one. Gonzalez said the American offseason is much different from the ones he had in Cuba.

"It's a whole different program, but I actually like it," Gonzalez said. "I have adapted to it. I like it better than what I was used to."

In the end, Gonzalez might've simply been trying to do too much. He looked like he was overthrowing his fastball, which led to repeated inaccuracy. Hamels knows plenty about trying too hard to impress Phillies brass.

"They come in and there's a lot of excitement, and you overdo it," Hamels said. "I was a culprit. I got injured after my first big-league camp. There was excitement and adrenaline that you aren't used to at this early a stage and it hurt me. I hope he's able to control it and progress safely so he's healthy going into the season."

Hamels has done pretty well for himself since his 2004 debut. He's signed to a six-year, $144 million deal and has a World Series MVP trophy from 2008. He is very much a known commodity.

Gonzalez, however, is not, even with the knowledge gleaned from Saturday's outing. The Phillies do see encouraging things with Gonzalez, specifically his fastball velocity. They're hopeful that as the spring marches on, Gonzalez can iron out his deficiencies.